The Hawaiian gazette., 1887-12-13
9aluaiian O5azette
TUESDAY. DECEMBER Is. 1887.
ocean HORRORS !!
A MYSTERY SOLVED! /!
Wreck of the Gen. SeigeI Fol-
lowed by a Double Murder.
The Mama Also Lost and Sur
ViTOrs of Both Vessels
Brought to Honolulu.
ARRIVAL OF THE Blk. LILLIAN.

ANN AL Ot It1E bh. Lillian.
The Hawaiian bark Lillian, Captain
Holland, which was signalled Monday
afternoon, arrived in port Tuesday
morning. She brought some news of
an unusually sensational character,
being accounts of the wrecking of two
vessels of the Pacific Navigation Com
pany, the schooners General Seigel and
Mana
Long ago the Seigel was given up as
lost, but the rejoicing that some of her
crew turn up alive is modified by the
tidings of Il terrible tragedy that oc-
CURED in connection with her loss.
The Seigel left Honolulu on Septem-
Der |, 1886, in command of Captain
Asberdine, alias Sanders, chartered
from the Pacific Navigation Company
for a six months sharking expedition
to French Frigate Shoals. She OBJ
tanned a full load of sharks fins, oil
etc, and was returning to Honolulu
when she went ashore on one of the
twin Midway Isles, near Ocean Island
lately made famous by the wreck of
the British ship Dunottar Castle. The
Seigel became a total wreck her Cap
tain and crew reaching land in safety.
On the islands the experience of the
/ party was tragic in the extreme. Peter
Larllin, well known in marine circles
here, had his hand blown off while
fishing with dynamite or giant DOW
der, dying in 10 days. The boat of the
| Dunottar Castle, left at Ocean Island,
had drifted to Midway Isles. This was
! decked by the company for making a
! ma a Cgn tn mr. lO11a
| of the Pacific. Before they were ready
for departure dispute arose between
the mate Johnson and Capt. Sanders,
a sailor named Brown being present,
/ the end of which was that Johnson
murdered his two companions. The
| quarrel was caused by Johnson insist
! ing that the party should embark for
Honolulu and the captain desiring to
| head for the southwestern groups.
Johnson returned to the rest of the
| crew who were on the other side of the
! island and told a story of the captain
| having killed Brown and then COM
mitted suicide. Disbelieving Johnson
and fearing that he would get away with
| the boat, the others stove the boat in and
| proceeded to fit out another craft. This
was a japanese sand-boat, left by Capt.
Paul BOhm, when at the isles fishing in
the schooner Kaulilua, now of the In
ter-Island Steam Navigation Co.'s
fleet. They constructed out-riders and
rugged up a spar and sail, and when
the work was completed they set sail,
leaving the mate, who seemed to be
out of his wits, on the island. The
Marshall Group was reached in 20 days,
four men being in the boat. Two of
them embarked for this port on the
Lillian ut Jaluit.
Captain Nilsson, who left here in
command of the schooner Mana, re-
turned with five of his crew by the
Lillian. The captain reports the loss
of the Mana, giving the following par
ticulars. She sailed hence on the both
of July last, with return contract
laborers for the Gilbert Islands. Ar
irving at the island of Nukunau, the
southernmost of the group, after a
passage OF lG days, thirty of the people
were landed there. The schooner then
went round to the west side of the
island, beating up towards the an
chorage.
The Captain went alOft to supervise
operations. He had the sails lowered
and was going to anchor when he
noticed that something was wrong.
The cable stopped running out, the
anchor apparently parting therefrom.
He ordered the man at the helm TO
''hard down." but the man mistook |
him and put the helm hard up. AS
result the vessel drifted on the reef,
before there was time to let go a sec
ond anchor. 1t appeared that the (
mate, who was ordered to make anch- |
or and chain ready, slighted the work +
so that there was no key in the anchor |
fastening when dropped.
Half an hour after she struck the |
reef the Mana broke clear in two.
There was a scene of confusion on I
the vessel striking. The crew and the
simple Islanders tossing their boxes
and bundles overheard threw them
selves into the surf amongst the dun
mage. One man was struck on the
head with heavy package, either
killing him or causing him to drown
a woman had her arm broken in
similar way but managed to gain the
beach. Her arm was amputated with
knife and at last accounts the poor
woman was recovering.
After stay of thirteen days on the
island, Captain Nilsson and the ships
company were cheered by the sight of
the New Zealand brig Eikawahu. The
captain chartered this vessel to land
the rest of the return laborers at their
homes, and with the exception of one
or two runaways his crew and himself
at Jaluit. He had saved his chrono-
meter at the wreck, but lost an ex-
pensiye pair of glasses.
The Lillian brings an account of
terrible massacre of Spaniards by the
natives of Ponape in the Caroline
Islands. Word of the dire event came
to Jaluit by the trading schooner Ka- |